This is one show that
needs to be put on your gaming calendar every year!

PAX AUS 2013
Melbourne Australia

One of the world’s biggest games expo has
just gone pacific with PAX AUS, a true celebration of gaming. Running
over three days from the 19th to the 21st of July 2013, visitors to
the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds can expect a truly epic experience from a
sneak peak at Microsoft’s new XBox One to panels from gaming experts, a collection of amazing indie developers,
tournaments, freeplay (PC & Gaming), hardware and of
course a variety of console exhibitions such as Ubisoft and Nintendo.

This is only just the surface of PAX AUS and after leaving the
exhibition, I’m thoroughly exhausted from the amount of exhibitors,
activities, information and
of course people. PAX is massive and is something that all gamers from
across Australia should check out.

The developer and
the Princess

Ubisoft showcases their latest Assassin's Creed Game

Assassin's Creed invades King's Comics

Besides seeing the powerful XBox One, indulging in the atmosphere, we
even got the chance to play Saints Row IV which was a total blast. It
felt like some bizarre superhero adventure in the demo that we
played and is definitely worth the wait in the line. Not only did the graphics look amazing but the gameplay was
almost flawless on the XBox 360.

Online gaming played a huge part of PAX AUS such as League of Legends
and the huge exhibit from Wargaming.net to let gamers know that
World of Tanks means business in Australia. Not only did the
folks from Wargaming.Net have a massive exhibition with military
vehicles and a huge PC setup for players but they also had a bevy of
promotional models in uniform to promote this product. Given that the
majority of attendees for this expo are male, it's easy to see why...
not that we're complaining mind you.

Two of the models from
Wargaming.Net

League of Legends... enough
said!

Ubisoft was HUGE at PAX AUS

Another highlight for us was interviewing Atsushi
Miyauchi, a Japanese veteran gaming developer who has been in the
industry for more than 15 years. His current title is Dynasty Warriors 8
boasts over 70 characters and the incorporation of a new “what if”
storyline that means, each character can have a different ending
depending on their actions. The full interview will be seen next week in
our Interview section on Impulse Gamer.

In relation to interviews, both the media and fans
can chat to some of the most amazing indie gaming developers and more
importantly, they are Australian. There's some brilliant titles out
there apart from the mainstream gaming companies and we strongly suggest
that you investigate these little gems while visiting the expo.

The developers of Postman's
Odyssey and Cargo Chaos

Nintendo, always a crowd
favourite

Gamers flock the Indie Gaming
Developers

Impulse Gamer were also given a chance to experience the Oculus Rift,
some of the most impressive virtual reality headsets that we’ve had the
pleasure of using. Although still in a BETA phase, the Oculus Rift
Virtual Reality Headsets are taking the developer world by storm as a
developer kit costs around $300USD. This affordable price is to ensure
that all developers can access this technology in order to create some
amazing platforms, not just for gaming. We experienced an Unreal 4 Tech
Demo that must be seen to be believed. It was like standing in front of
an IMAX screen, however everywhere you look, the graphics would move
with you. It was almost like you were really there. Another highlight
was the cinema tech demo that made it feel like you were in the cinema
watching the Man of Steel Trailer. Given that this is not the final
version of the headset, we’re eager to see more developers use this
technology and hopefully one day, we can experience this on a 4K virtual
screen.

The future
of VR Headsets, the Oculus Rift

Alienware, one of the world's
powerful gaming rigs

Ubisoft's
Just Dance

Apart
from all the interactive exhibits, PAX AUS 2013 showcased some amazing
talks such as Stealth Gaming: Featuring Splinter Cell Blacklist
that talked about the past and future of stealth gaming. The panels are
really varied and include topics such as Gaming and Parenting and just
about anything and everything to do with gaming. Then if you need a
break, you can venture into the freeplay areas for both the PC and the
console that gives you the ability to play a game for around 45 minutes
while you experience some true gaming. Not only is it a great way to
relax but it allows you to check out some of the games that you don't
own. Brilliant!

Final Thoughts?

PAX
AUS 2013 is a true gaming festival that not only celebrates the gamer
but the future of this medium by giving people the chance to talk to
developers, chat about the latest PC hardware or just interact with the
people attending the expo. One day is definitely not enough and in order
to fully experience PAX AUS 2013, a three day pass.

This is
one show that needs to be put on your gaming calendar every year.